What Do Your Kitchen Habits Reveal about Your Personality?

By: Emily Maggrett
Estimated Completion Time
7 min
What Do Your Kitchen Habits Reveal about Your Personality?
Image: kali9 / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

There are some things we all do in the kitchen. For instance, you probably wash your hands after touching raw meat, "peek" at pancakes before you flip them and use your slow-cooker to make killer bean soups. But there are other common kitchen habits which aren't so widely shared. Some cooks, for instance, believe in cleaning as you go, while others opine that the person who did the cooking shouldn't have to clean up after dinner. And the differences don't stop there!

Many cooks are thrilled by the chance to use a new ingredient, while others are nervous about working with produce or animal products that they're not used to. While many home chefs follow recipes to the letter, others improvise to their heart's content, making so many substitutions and changes that it can be hard to recognize the original dish! One thing's for sure: the way you cook is actually a big clue to the way you approach other things in life. Which is what this quiz is all about!

We want you to tell us everything about how you act in the kitchen, from the cutting boards you use to whether you believe in the five-second rule. After you've told us the truth about your kitchen habits, we'll reveal what they say about your personality. Ready learn more? Let's get cooking!

Kitchen Habits 1
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Do you clean as you go?
Every time! It cuts down on cleanup later.
Not really. Isn't that what the dishwasher is for?
I try to, but if I'm failing, I usually recruit a "helper" to assist me.
Nope! "Cleaning as you go" takes all the fun out of cooking.

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Kitchen Habits 2
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Imagine your partner has brought home a strange new vegetable. What are you going to do with it?
Spend hours researching it so I can figure out the perfect way to prepare it, of course
Figure out which vegetables this ingredient reminds me of, then try preparing it that way
Tell my partner to give it to someone else. I don't know what to do with it.
Toss it into whatever I'm already making. If it's good, it will be a surprise. If it's bad, that's also a surprise!

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Kitchen Habits 3
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How do you usually defrost meat?
Two days before I want to cook it, I move it from the freezer to the fridge.
I thaw it in the microwave.
I put it in a bowl in the sink and run cold water over it.
I never buy frozen meat.

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Kitchen Habits 4
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What kind of grocery bags do you use?
J. Crew reusable shopping bags
Old plastic reusable ones that I've had since forever
Whatever they give me at the store
An ancient NPR tote

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Kitchen Habits 5
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How often do you clean your sink?
Every night before I go to bed
Uh ... when it looks like it needs cleaning?
After I wash raw meat in it
You're supposed to clean your sink?

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Kitchen Habits 6
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What's your go-to oil?
Extra virgin olive oil. It tastes amazing.
Canola. It fries well.
Butter. What can I say? It's delicious.
Sesame oil, olive oil, lard, butter, coconut oil ... I love them all!

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Kitchen Habits 7
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Do you use a "garbage" bowl?
No. I have a compost bin on my counter.
No. But I do have a "stock" bowl. I toss vegetable scraps in there, then boil them up to make a soup base.
Yes. It just makes sense.
No. I throw scraps in my sink and let my garbage disposal handle them.

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Kitchen Habits 8
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How far in advance do you plan meals?
Two weeks ahead
The morning of the day I cook them
One week ahead (usually right before shopping)
Um ... the second I get hungry?

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Kitchen Habits 9
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When you cook dinner, how much do you make?
Enough for that evening. Leftovers often don't taste as good as freshly made food.
Enough to freeze
Enough for lunch the next day
It depends on how much of a given ingredient I have. If I have pounds and pounds of tomatoes, I'll make a ton of sauce. If I only have a few, I'll make pomodoro sauce for one.

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Kitchen Habits 10
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How often do you shop for groceries?
Every Sunday at 2 p.m.
It depends. I don't have a set schedule.
Twice a week, after work
Whenever the cupboards are bare

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Kitchen Habits 11
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Do you follow recipes step by step?
Yes, always. First I read the entire recipe through so I understand what's coming next.
Not always. I often improvise or make substitutions.
Kind of. I don't cook from recipe books; instead, I make recipes I know by heart.
Recipes are suggestions, not guidelines! I pretty much ignore most instructions

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Kitchen Habits 12
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What kind of shoes do you wear when you cook?
Restaurant-grade clogs
Comfortable old sneakers
Danskos
Whatever I already had on

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Kitchen Habits 13
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Do you brine meat before cooking it?
Always. It improves the meat's moisture level.
I like playing around with brines, but I don't see them as crucial.
No. It's not really necessary for any kind of meat but turkey.
No, because I don't really "get" brining?

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Kitchen Habits 14
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When do you wash and chop the ingredients that need to be prepped?
Before doing ANY cooking
Right before I need them
I delegate tasks like that to my children or partner.
As soon as I need them

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Kitchen Habits 15
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Do you put away the groceries as soon as you get home?
Yes. Otherwise, the kitchen would get cluttered.
I put away the perishables.
No. Usually there's some minor crisis to solve first.
Dairy and meat go in the fridge immediately. Everything else, well, stays out there for a while.

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Kitchen Habits 16
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What kind of pans do you have?
Cast iron Le Creuset
Anodized aluminum
Stainless steel
Nonstick

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Kitchen Habits 17
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Do you use a meat thermometer to check for doneness?
Yes. That's the safest method.
No. Instead, I cut into the meat. If the juice is running clear, it's done.
Only if I'm cooking poultry or pork
Nah. I touch the meat instead. It has a certain "feel" when it's done.

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Kitchen Habits 18
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How often do you get your knives sharpened?
Every six months
Whenever they start feeling dull
Once a year
Well, to be honest, I've never done that.

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Kitchen Habits 19
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At what time do you usually eat dinner?
8 p.m. That's the most civilized time to dine.
It depends. My partner and I don't have regular schedules.
6:30 p.m. No earlier, no later.
Whenever I have time to! (Life sometimes gets in the way.)

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Kitchen Habits 20
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Do you use separate cutting boards for different kinds of food?
Yes. I have one for meat, one for vegetables and one for bread.
I have a wooden board for cutting bread, but I cut everything else on a plastic cutting board that can be bleached.
I keep a separate cutting board for meat, but use my wooden cutting board for everything else.
Nope! I have one trusty bamboo cutting board that I use for everything.

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Kitchen Habits 21
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How often do you have guests over for dinner?
Several times a month
Once or twice a year
Once a week
Twice a week

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Kitchen Habits 22
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Where do you usually find recipes?
I subscribe to Cook's Magazine, Bon Appetit and Food & Wine
It depends. Sometimes I find them on food blogs, other times I try to recreate great meals I had a restaurants.
I cook the way I was taught to by my parents or grandparents.
I make them up, based on what I have on hand.

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Kitchen Habits 23
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You have a leftover heel of bread. What are you going to do with it?
Make it into panzanella
Make it into bread pudding
Make it into croutons
Toss it

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Kitchen Habits 24
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What's on your counter?
The coffee maker, the Soda Stream, a bowl of fruit and a vase full of utensils. Nothing else!
The usual equipment, plus books, mail, papers ...
My stand mixer, the toaster, a bowl of fruit, the coffee maker, some pots of fresh herbs ...
Literally a million things

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Kitchen Habits 25
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Do you add salt and pepper at every stage of cooking?
Yes. That heightens the flavor of food.
I add spices at every stage of cooking, but they're not always salt and pepper.
No. I'm trying to watch my family's sodium levels.
No. I'd rather add those flavors at the end.

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Kitchen Habits 26
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How often do you wash your hands while cooking?
Before and after touching raw ingredients, whenever I touch my face and after washing dishes
Whenever I touch raw meat
Whenever I have a spare moment
Not as often as I should, to be honest

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Kitchen Habits 27
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When do you usually clean your kitchen?
Immediately after I finish cooking
In the morning
At night, before going to bed
When my family starts complaining about it

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Kitchen Habits 28
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Do you wear an apron?
Yes, a black one
No. They're nerdy.
Yes. I have a collection of cute aprons, actually.
Yes, but it's an ironic one.

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Kitchen Habits 29
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When frying, do you frequently check food to see if it's done?
No. That ruins the sear.
Yes! I can't help it.
I used to, but I don't anymore.
No, but it's only because I often get distracted and wander out of the kitchen while I'm cooking.

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Kitchen Habits 30
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Do you believe in the five-second rule?
No! If food drops on the floor, it's contaminated. Time has nothing to do with it.
Yes. If something was on the floor for only a few seconds, it's fine.
If company is over, no. If I'm alone with my family, yes.
Of course I do! Besides, aren't germs good for you?

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